January 1 Cattle Inventory Down 2 Percent

All cattle and calves in the United States as of January 1, 2012 totaled 90.8 million head, 2 percent below the 92.7 million on January 1, 2011. This is the lowest January 1 inventory of all cattle and calves since the 88.1 million on hand in 1952.

All cows and heifers that have calved, at 39.1 million, were down 2 percent from the 40.0 million on January 1, 2011.

• Beef cows, at 29.9 million, were down 3 percent from January 1, 2011.
• Milk cows, at 9.2 million, were up 1 percent from January 1, 2011.

Other class estimates on January 1, 2012 and the change from January 1, 2011, are as follows:

Calf Crop Down 1 Percent
The 2011 calf crop was estimated at 35.3 million head, down 1 percent from 2010. This is the smallest calf crop since the 34.9 million born during 1950. Calves born during the first half of 2011 are estimated at 25.7 million, down 1 percent from 2010.

Important to note that the Southern Plains areas impacted by drought saw a signficant reduction in beef cows that calved. Compared to 2011, Texas dropped 13%, Oklahoma 14% and New Mexico 11%.